Across
- 2. water/ water with salinity level between fresh and salt water
- 3. Reef/ structure made of oyster shells and live oysters that provides habitat, improves water quality, and serves as protective barrier
- 6. forest/ coastal wetland ecosystem dominated by salt-tolerant mangrove trees
- 8. Prism/ volume of water that enters or exits an estuary with each tidal cycle
- 11. coastal area where freshwater meets and mixes with saltwater
- 12. plant adapted to thrive in saline environments
- 14. organisms capable of tolerating a wide range of salinity levels
- 16. planning and implementation of policies, regulations, and practices to sustainable use and protect esstuaries
- 19. area where juvenile fish and invertebrates find food and shelter
Down
- 1. Marsh/ wetland dominated by salt-tolerant grasses, rushes, sedges
- 4. process by which sediments settle out of water and accumulate in estuarine areas
- 5. concentration of dissolved salts in water
- 7. nutrient enrichment in an estuary, caused by excess nutrient runoff
- 8. Mudflat/ flat, muddy area that is exposed at low tide and submerges at high tide
- 9. ability to withstand and recover from disturbances and environmental changes
- 10. Plume/ flow of freshwater from river into estuary, forming visible "plume" within saltier waters
- 13. Range/ difference in water level between high tide and low tide
- 15. Wedge/ wedge-shaped intrusion of saltwater from the ocean into an estuary
- 17. Circulation/ complex pattern of water movement within estuary, influenced by tide, wind, river input
- 18. cloudiness/haziness of water caused by suspended particles